That is definitely true but I would suggest that it is a societal choice about basic values that makes it so. I'm not saying I personally disagree with that cho

That is definitely true but I would suggest that it is a societal choice about basic values that makes it so. I'm not saying I personally disagree with that choice but we should see it as one rather than just the obvious. Schools could be like other institutions which focus their attention and assess themselves based on the best they produce. Even some schools are like this (or American schools anyway) with sports. Is Coach worrying about how good the average student is at basketball, or the lowest quartile? I think not. We have decided that it is essential that everyone reaches a minimum level, that the average performance should reach a certain level and that these two things are very important and much more so than making sure that the very best students can reach their maximum level. Again, I'm not saying I think that is wrong. In a democracy, it has a lot going for it, but it isn't the only way to run a society either.